Going to a vocational high school was by far the best decision of my life. I had the privilege to not only learn academics but also life lessons and had the privilege of knowing exactly what I want to further my education in. My shop was more than just a group of students and even more than a group of friends– we became a family. The memories we have shared, the lessons we have learned, the lectures we were given, and the stress we encountered brought us all together. Since graduation we have all gone onto different journeys and though we are now miles apart living our lives, we have not forgotten about one another, and we haven’t lost contact either. We continue to grow and learn from one another. Not seeing each other all day everyday like we used to took some getting used to, but we have figured it out.
Our teachers were more than just teachers. Mrs. Bastien was known as Momma B, and though Daelyn and I would occasionally give attitude, we appreciate everything she did. She always wanted the best for every student in the class and worked her ass off to give us the best experience of our life, as well as getting us certified in a multitude of different things. She was the heart and soul of Legal and Protective. Personally, I don’t think any of us would be where we are today without her. She made a huge impact on each of our lives and continues to do so as we grow into adulthood.
Mr. Harris, the man of many sayings. He was the master of “in the real world” lectures whenever anything went wrong. The man who laughed at all of the stupid things we did, though sometimes he was laughing AT us. As much as we could joke around with him, he often put his foot down and got us back on track. Total drill sergeant in the weight room though, there was no slacking in there. Mr. Harris brought a lot to Legal and Protective when he joined us junior year. He told us many stories, gave us many lectures, taught us a lot, and brought in even more love (for him and his adorable child). He is the man we all look up to.
The friendships are indescribable. We were a family, the fights happened but the love was always there. Spending all day everyday with each other every other week, of course we wanted to kill each other at times, but at the end of the day, we loved each other. We had our fair share of relationship and friendship break ups but absolutely nothing kept us apart from one another. If someone, anyone, was having a bad day we would all step in and help. Nobody was ever alone.
The left side of shop lived a different life. We didn’t talk to them everyday and if we did, we were usually disagreeing about something but the love was still there. We would still be there in the blink of an eye whenever it was needed. Going back and forth with you guys was just apart of shop, it was how we were. We fought like brother and sister but never failed to check in when things weren’t right. We knew how to come together when needed, and we may not talk to you guys anymore, but the love is still there.